Seconds out - Round two

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a massive task, which includes a very careful listening process and strategic planning.

No man remains unchanged by the experience of power. Some are perverted to tyranny. Some are corrupted by flattery and self - indulgence. Some very few are tempered to wisdom by their understanding of the consequences of executive action.

NEWS BREAK /INTERLUDE

Regular contribution and alternative suggestions are scheduled for publication in October 2020.

Aernout Fabius shares his knowledge and experience as a immigrant BeNeLux citizen and Tax Resident of the United Kingdom since 1971.

EFTA OR EEA?

The British choice - EFTA or EEA? Aernout Fabius shares his knowledge and experience as a immigrant BeNeLux citizen and Tax Resident of the United Kingdom since 1971.

The United Kingdom (conservative government and Labour Party opposition) is in turmoil and lack a statesman type leader who is able to make the leap-of-faith to solve BrExit and kick the Article 50 process into Antarctica,  which, sadly, is already melting and probably not cool enough to cope with  BrExit's political hot heads!

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.[3] The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area. They are not, however, party to the European Union Customs Union.

The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the EEA Agreement in 1992, an international agreement which allows for the extension of the European Union (EU)'s single market to non-EU member parties. The EEA links the European Union member states and three EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) into an internal market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable free movement of labour, goods, services, and capital within the European Single Market, including the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement. The contracting parties are the European Union (EU), its member states, and the member states of the European Free Trade Association.

However, the EEA Treaty is a commercial treaty and differs from the EU Treaties in certain key respects. The EFTA members do not participate in the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy. According to Article 1 its purpose is to "promote a continuous and balanced strengthening of trade and economic relation." Unlike the EU Treaties, there is no mention of "ever closer union".

Editor's comment

Is this the same Sovereign Nation I chose as my home-away-from-home in 1971? Probably!

In September 2019 I will be 3 years from my official retirement age. As I have stated repeatedly, it is your choice. I am content in the knowledge that I will not be entitled to participate in a people's referendum.

Editor's suggestion

If the British Parliament authorises another people's referendum, a binary vote is the worst choice and unlikely to settle the leave/remain question in the short/medium term (three to five years).

Devolution in Greenland

On Saturday 7th December 2018, a phone-in show which shall not be named in this blog, exposed how easy it is for FAKE NEWS to enter the realm of quasi-truth. A caller stated that Greenland was a part of Norway. Let me quote a quick historic summary:

• Norse colonization - 10th century
• Arrival of the Inuit - 13th century
• Unification with Norway - 1262
• Dano-Norwegian colonies established 1721
• Ceded to Denmark - 14 January 1814

In 1953 a new Danish Constitution incorporated Greenland in Denmark, the island thereby gained representation in the Danish Parliament and was recognized as a Danish province known as the County of Greenland.

In 1979 Greenland was granted home rule by the Danish government, but Denmark remained in control of a number of areas incl. foreign relations, defense, currency matters and the legal system in Greenland after this.

Greenlandic fishing rights
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After wrangling over fishing rights, the territory left the EEC in 1985, but remains subject to the EU treaties through association of Overseas Countries and Territories with the EU. This was permitted by the Greenland Treaty, a special treaty signed in 1984 to allow its withdrawal from the EEC/EU. Greenland is not an EEA or an EFTA member!

In 2008 Greenland's citizens approved the Greenlandic self-government referendum with a 75% vote in favor of a higher degree of autonomy. Greenland took control of law enforcement, the coast guard, and the legal system. The official language changed from Danish to Greenlandic on 21 June 2009, Greenland national day.

As part of the self-rule law of 2009 (section §21), Greenland can declare full independence if they wish to pursue it, but it would have to be approved by a referendum among the Greenlandic people. A poll in 2016 showed that there was a clear majority (64%) for full independence among the Greenlandic people, but a poll in 2017 showed that there was a clear opposition (78%) if it meant a fall in living standards.

EFTA - European Free Trade Association

EFTA participating countries:

Iceland
Liechtenstein
Norway
Switzerland

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four @European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area. They are not, however, party to the EU Customs Union.

Whilst the EFTA is not a customs union and member states have full rights to enter into bilateral third-country trade arrangements, it does have a coordinated trade policy.^[3] As a result, its member states have jointly concluded free trade agreements with the EU and a number of other countries.^[3] To participate in the EU's single market, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway are parties to the Agreement on a European Economic Area(EEA), with compliances regulated by the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court. Switzerland has a set of bilateral agreements with the EU instead

EEA - European Economic Area

Participants:
~~~~~
All EU Member States
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Norway

The European Economic Area (EEA) unites the EU Member States and the three EEA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) into an Internal Market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable goods, services, capital, and persons to move freely about the EEA in an open and competitive environment, a concept referred to as the four freedoms.